The Climate Gate debacle achieved a goal the hackers never imagined. For it thrust climate change center-stage before an audience bored by scientific rhetoric. When the dust had settled, surely there was no more argument. The world had all the proof it needed. There were high hopes – at least in the minds of climate scientists – at Cancun 2010.
The 16th Conference of the Parties: Cancun 2010, Mexico
However, the media were less than excited by the annual Conferences of the Parties. These emerged from the Framework Convention on Climate Change, but achieved little in terms of hard results. Moreover, Cancun 2010 followed on the unsuccessful Copenhagen Accord that ended inconclusively.
United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon concluded member states would never reach “a globally agreed, comprehensive deal.” Therefore, he suggested a series of incremental steps instead. The Cancun 2010 meeting ended in agreement rich countries would assist poor ones green their economies, through a $30bn, three-year “Fast Start Finance” deal.
Was This a Good Start, or an Excuse?
Unfortunately, Cancun 2010 participants failed to follow through and extend the Kyoto Agreement. There was also no consensus regarding how they would raise the money for the Fast Start Finance, what the specific goals would be, and whether this let rich nations off the hook.
Was this merely a sop to their consciences? And an opportunity for their politicians to buy time in the hope the problem would go away for their lifetimes? There was some progress on the financial front though. In December 2012 the Climate Funds Update Team advised, “Developed countries self-report they have delivered more than $33 billion in fast-start climate finance between 2010 and 2012.”
The authors were however unable to determine how much of this finance was “new and additional”, as opposed to donated prior to Cancun 2010. Despite all the promises, the world was still becoming steadily warmer in the absence of a united resolve.
Related
Climate Change Part 32: Climate Gate Scam Erupts 2009
Climate Change Part 27: 2006 Emissions Reach 8 Billion Tons
Preview Image: 2010 Cancun Climate Talks
